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| Last updated on October 31, 2008 |
MISSION STATEMENT (Short version)
of GIVE A DOG A BONE
Give a Dog a Bone is dedicated to providing quality of life to the Custody/Isolation dogs sheltered at San Francisco Animal Care and Control during the full duration of their stay. we strengthen the human/animal bond with each dog in the Give a Dog a Bone Program one dog at a time.
Give a Dog a Bone is committed to sharing this program as a model for other animal agencies.
Description:
In San Francisco a not-very-known small animal welfare organization named Give a Dog a Bone was profiled in the February 13, 2006 issue of People Magazine.
What happens to the dogs you see on the news? What happens to the fighting dogs or the confiscated dogs from the abandoned house down the street? They all come to us and live in the back of the shelter behind a locked door.
We work with dogs that the public never sees.
Behind a locked door, in a restricted area, we give them the attention and compassion every animal deserves.
Quality of life is what we strive to give the dogs in our care.
Every day is different – at times we have a puppy litter, and a couple of old dogs whose owner has died, fear-aggressive dogs whose owner is in the hospital, little dogs who tremble every time a big dog barks, rude adolescents, the dogs who have no reason to trust people, all have unique and special needs.
A lot of the dogs in the "skin quarantine" kennel have been dumped with severe cases of non-contagious or contagious mange. To see them glow when they are stroked or massaged is as blissful for the giver as it is for the recipient.
Dogs end up in custody for a variety of reasons. Many have been rescued from neglectful and cruel situations, others are being held for on a bite complaint, and some are there because their owners simply are not able to care for their animal(s).
Most shelters, urban or rural, are just not set up to house animals for long periods of time. Give A Dog A Bone guarantees every dog in the program participates in life enrichment activities, which all sentient living creatures need and deserve.
For animals in custody, this program means the difference between a sad and dismal life — and one (for however long) that's full of quality, stimulation, and love. Giving them purpose, new skills, manners, socializing, giving them ourselves, changes a bleak life into one with reason to hope.
While some of our dogs go on to a better life, for some of our dogs, we may be the last to love them, and we may have even been the first. As volunteer Judi put it, "dogs live in the moment, and during our time at the shelter, so do we."
Give a Dog a Bone is appropriate for any shelter canine. A video and manual illustrating Give A Dog A Bone's techniques are currently in production. Our hope is that this program will be emulated across the country in those agencies that have the need.
History:
As the animal sheltering movement has evolved beyond the mere warehousing of unwanted animals, our awareness has expanded to include issues affecting adoptability and the maintenance of the physical and emotional and physical well-being of our canine friends.
Give a Dog a Bone, an environmental enrichment program for long-term shelter dogs, was created in 1999 to address these emerging concerns. Specifically, we seek to relieve the boredom, stress, suffering and loneliness of shelter dogs by providing companionship and affection, stimulating minds and bodies, awakening interest and curiosity, and building confidence and trust.
Contact person: Aschley Hopkins, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Main office number: (415) 934-4820
Office fax number: (415) 557-9950
Address:
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1200 15th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.gadab.org
Miscellaneous Information
| Besides English, which languages are spoken at your agency? |
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No others
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| What is the minimum age for volunteers at your agency? |
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25
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| Is your agency wheelchair accessible? |
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Yes
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| Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 10? |
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No
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| Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 20? |
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No
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